Energy and Environment

Alex is determined to fight the existential threat of climate change. Having grown up in a low-income, heavily polluted neighborhood, he is dedicated to ensuring that every family has access to clean air and clean water. He served for six years as Chair of the California State Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Communications, where he led the development of California’s ambitious renewable energy and climate policies that now serve as a model for the rest of the country. Alex’s environmental leadership has continued in the U.S. Senate. In addition to cosponsoring the Green New Deal, Alex introduced sweeping legislation to electrify our nation’s school buses and protect over one million acres of public lands in California, increasing access to nature and preserving California’s natural treasures for generations to come.

Alex understands the threat that increasingly frequent and catastrophic natural disasters and extreme weather events pose to California and the Western United States. That’s why he fought to secure millions of dollars in federal funding for flood control infrastructure to protect communities from catastrophic floods and rising sea levels. His bill the POWER ON Act was signed into law by President Biden to prevent utility outages caused by natural disasters like wildfires and other extreme weather events. And while California continues to face the threat of devastating wildfires, Alex led the successful passage of the FIRE Act, to modernize the way FEMA prepares for and responds to wildfires.

Recent News

Padilla and Schiff have been fighting to secure billions in much-needed disaster assistance for 18 months WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) released the following statement calling out the continued refusal of the Trump Administration to request overdue disaster relief funding for California, more...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, questioned the Department of the Interior (DOI) nominee for Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Kevin Lilly about Yosemite National Park’s reservation...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) introduced the Wildland Firefighter Hazard Pay Correction Act. The bill provides hazard pay to wildland firefighters and smokejumpers for prescribed burns and training jumps, ensuring these brave first responders...
Padilla and Schiff have been fighting to secure billions in much-needed disaster assistance for 18 months WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) released the following statement calling out the continued refusal of the Trump Administration to request overdue disaster relief funding for California, more...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, questioned the Department of the Interior (DOI) nominee for Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Kevin Lilly about Yosemite National Park’s reservation...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) introduced the Wildland Firefighter Hazard Pay Correction Act. The bill provides hazard pay to wildland firefighters and smokejumpers for prescribed burns and training jumps, ensuring these brave first responders...
Would help prevent outages from California wildfires WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced legislation that would reauthorize the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program at the Department of Energy to help strengthen...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), along with U.S. Representatives Mike Thompson (D-Calif.-04) and David Valadao (R-Calif.-22), led 10 colleagues in urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide emergency funding to address the...
Legislation modernizes NOAA’s Hurricane Hunter fleet, strengthens atmospheric river forecasting, and better protects communities WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Lisa...
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and John Curtis (R-Utah), members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, introduced the FIRE SMART Act, bipartisan legislation to expand funding eligibility for projects with fire suppression benefits in high-risk...
Administration efforts to curtail new renewable energy projects could cost American families an additional $11.6 billion annually WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, are pushing the Trump Administration for answers about Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and 16 of their colleagues in...